November 3, 2013 - OMG-IASG
Today I was blessed by participating in a sermon by Gerry Lougheed Jr. If you have ever heard a sermon by Gerry Jr., you’ll know that it was, is, and ever shall be a Good Methodist Sermon. This is to say, we are powerfully reminded that we are all Villains / we are all Heroes – and we get to choose which cape we’re going to fly with.
I can’t get enough of it! Susannah Wesley – mother of John Wesley – is sitting alongside Marguerite Lougheed, smiling in the Community of Saints – while Gerry calls each of us out (including himself) for those sins that we condemn others for, but forgive in ourselves.
So what does OMG-IASG have to do with any of this? It stands for “Oh My G*d – I Am SO Grateful!” And I mean this in all sincerity because Gerry Jr. – who works more than 80 hours a week as a Funeral Director – is forever and forcefully hitting us with a two-by-four about the things that really matter, the things we want to be written in our obituary, the things we want our family and friends, co-workers and mortal enemies to remember us for and by.
And he reminds us that praying for others and giving thanks should be the first thing we do in the morning and should continue until we fall asleep at night. (Blessed are the insomniacs because they get to give praise and thanksgiving even longer, I guess…)
And what’s really cool for me is that this is something my very near and dear atheist and agnostic friends and family can share in too. The good folks in psychology who study what makes us happy and live longer-better affirm that kindness and gratitude benefit the giver even more than the receiver.
*****
So my Top Ten OMB-IASGs - just for today...
1. Bed. I had a comfy place to sleep, and I didn’t have to escape in the middle of the night because of rebels. I am ever mindful of the folks who don’t have a bed, and those who do but don’t get to rest in it. (Sarah in the Congo, I am thinking of you.)
2. Breakfast! Woo-hoo. My hubs and I can hardly contain our excitement come 7 or 8 am. Orange juice, vanilla hazelnut coffee, cereal, cranberries, walnuts, and soya milk. We know folks who have no appetite at all, let alone for breakfast. Yet, I can honestly say that we actually grin at each other at about 10 pm and say – “Only 9 more hours before coffee!” In fact, we have a whole ledge of a utility shelf dedicated to breakfast food. Luxury!
3. Church. OMB-IASG! Anyone who worships in a Temple, Mosque, Church or Holy Place of any kind in Sudbury does not have to worry about being torched during the service or shot at after. And, I am part of church family that cares deeply for its members. All you have to do to be part of our family is attend – even periodically is fine. Or say you plan to… Grace – G*d’s unmerited favour…
4. Subway Sandwich Shop. One of my daughters, Caro, works at the Lasalle Court Mall location (900 Lasalle.) I dropped in to see her on my circuitous route home – she wasn’t there. But how happy I am for her. Her co-workers and she all get along so well; they are proud of their product and service. Caro loves going to work – and she gets a free healthy lunch every shift.
5. Coins for Card. I never go to the New Sudbury Shopping Centre – only because I live in the South End and I am not a shopper. However, they have a service where you can take all your coins, dump them into a machine, and they give you a cash-card equivalent that you can use yourself or give to the charity of your choice. My hubs and I are lazy. We dump our spare change into a large bowl – and when the bowl is filled – trad-da! A donation we never miss.
6. Sunday Lunch! Grilled (soya) cheese sandwiches and tomato soup – with pickles. Part of Gerry Lougheed Jr.’s sermon today was about the Communion of the Saints. (I’m Christian; I believe this.) So as I’m enjoying this lunch with my hubs, I’m also enjoying memories of Sunday lunches gone-by with family still living (my kids and my mom) and my dad. Nice.
7. Sunday Afternoon Walk. It has to be a pretty awful day for Laur not to agree to go for a Sunday afternoon walk with me. Today we meandered through the Conservation Area which is not far from our home. But even if we lived in the downtown, there would be a trail not far away, thanks to the Rainbow Route folks. We cannot be thankful enough to the folks who work for our collective right to walk.
8. Curling Up with a Good Book. GSPL, have I told you lately that I love you? Gerry Jr. says we don’t tell folks enough that we love them. Greater Sudbury Public Library – I LOVE YOU. I believe in the right to education – and education, in my mind, means access to reading and writing.
9. Locally Grown Food. Sunday evenings I like to “batch cook: – turn the oven on and put in everything that will fit. What’s better than Ontario potatoes, onions, squash, and root vegetables? Northern Ontario veggies! I confess, I have to start shopping at Eat Locally. http://www.eatlocalsudbury.com/
10. Writing. There are few things more satisfying than writing. I don’t mean novels, blogs, articles, and sermons – and if you do write those, G*d bless you (and I mean that sincerely.) I mean just having the opportunity to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard to express yourself without fear. I’m a letter-writer for Amnesty International. I think of this every time I jot or tap.
*****
I’m limiting myself to 10 opportunities to be thankful on any given Sunday, by pretty much any Sudburian. If I was to further extend this list to name the people who have contributed to your or my being here at all, even for this hour – well, this hour would have to have 22 eons.
OMG – IASG.
I can’t get enough of it! Susannah Wesley – mother of John Wesley – is sitting alongside Marguerite Lougheed, smiling in the Community of Saints – while Gerry calls each of us out (including himself) for those sins that we condemn others for, but forgive in ourselves.
So what does OMG-IASG have to do with any of this? It stands for “Oh My G*d – I Am SO Grateful!” And I mean this in all sincerity because Gerry Jr. – who works more than 80 hours a week as a Funeral Director – is forever and forcefully hitting us with a two-by-four about the things that really matter, the things we want to be written in our obituary, the things we want our family and friends, co-workers and mortal enemies to remember us for and by.
And he reminds us that praying for others and giving thanks should be the first thing we do in the morning and should continue until we fall asleep at night. (Blessed are the insomniacs because they get to give praise and thanksgiving even longer, I guess…)
And what’s really cool for me is that this is something my very near and dear atheist and agnostic friends and family can share in too. The good folks in psychology who study what makes us happy and live longer-better affirm that kindness and gratitude benefit the giver even more than the receiver.
*****
So my Top Ten OMB-IASGs - just for today...
1. Bed. I had a comfy place to sleep, and I didn’t have to escape in the middle of the night because of rebels. I am ever mindful of the folks who don’t have a bed, and those who do but don’t get to rest in it. (Sarah in the Congo, I am thinking of you.)
2. Breakfast! Woo-hoo. My hubs and I can hardly contain our excitement come 7 or 8 am. Orange juice, vanilla hazelnut coffee, cereal, cranberries, walnuts, and soya milk. We know folks who have no appetite at all, let alone for breakfast. Yet, I can honestly say that we actually grin at each other at about 10 pm and say – “Only 9 more hours before coffee!” In fact, we have a whole ledge of a utility shelf dedicated to breakfast food. Luxury!
3. Church. OMB-IASG! Anyone who worships in a Temple, Mosque, Church or Holy Place of any kind in Sudbury does not have to worry about being torched during the service or shot at after. And, I am part of church family that cares deeply for its members. All you have to do to be part of our family is attend – even periodically is fine. Or say you plan to… Grace – G*d’s unmerited favour…
4. Subway Sandwich Shop. One of my daughters, Caro, works at the Lasalle Court Mall location (900 Lasalle.) I dropped in to see her on my circuitous route home – she wasn’t there. But how happy I am for her. Her co-workers and she all get along so well; they are proud of their product and service. Caro loves going to work – and she gets a free healthy lunch every shift.
5. Coins for Card. I never go to the New Sudbury Shopping Centre – only because I live in the South End and I am not a shopper. However, they have a service where you can take all your coins, dump them into a machine, and they give you a cash-card equivalent that you can use yourself or give to the charity of your choice. My hubs and I are lazy. We dump our spare change into a large bowl – and when the bowl is filled – trad-da! A donation we never miss.
6. Sunday Lunch! Grilled (soya) cheese sandwiches and tomato soup – with pickles. Part of Gerry Lougheed Jr.’s sermon today was about the Communion of the Saints. (I’m Christian; I believe this.) So as I’m enjoying this lunch with my hubs, I’m also enjoying memories of Sunday lunches gone-by with family still living (my kids and my mom) and my dad. Nice.
7. Sunday Afternoon Walk. It has to be a pretty awful day for Laur not to agree to go for a Sunday afternoon walk with me. Today we meandered through the Conservation Area which is not far from our home. But even if we lived in the downtown, there would be a trail not far away, thanks to the Rainbow Route folks. We cannot be thankful enough to the folks who work for our collective right to walk.
8. Curling Up with a Good Book. GSPL, have I told you lately that I love you? Gerry Jr. says we don’t tell folks enough that we love them. Greater Sudbury Public Library – I LOVE YOU. I believe in the right to education – and education, in my mind, means access to reading and writing.
9. Locally Grown Food. Sunday evenings I like to “batch cook: – turn the oven on and put in everything that will fit. What’s better than Ontario potatoes, onions, squash, and root vegetables? Northern Ontario veggies! I confess, I have to start shopping at Eat Locally. http://www.eatlocalsudbury.com/
10. Writing. There are few things more satisfying than writing. I don’t mean novels, blogs, articles, and sermons – and if you do write those, G*d bless you (and I mean that sincerely.) I mean just having the opportunity to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard to express yourself without fear. I’m a letter-writer for Amnesty International. I think of this every time I jot or tap.
*****
I’m limiting myself to 10 opportunities to be thankful on any given Sunday, by pretty much any Sudburian. If I was to further extend this list to name the people who have contributed to your or my being here at all, even for this hour – well, this hour would have to have 22 eons.
OMG – IASG.